A Nod to Words

February 6, 2014February 6, 2014 / Lisa / 5 Comments

I read three blog posts today that got me thinking so I thought I’d share. I tried adding live links but couldn’t make it work (I’ll have to ask the teenager).

Terri Ponce, at http://www.terriponce.com talked about how she tried a different writing process, and it failed. That made me think about all the books on writing out there, that tell writers they have to write the exact same way as the author if they want to succeed. And how wrong that is. Creativity is unique and so is the process that creates that work of art. Luckily, since I simply cannot outline.

Lisa, over at http://www.satsumabug.com has a post about trying her hand at abstract painting. What was interesting to me, is how those attempts impacted the portrait she then followed up with. That got me thinking about how sometimes, if we step out of our normal habits and try something alien to our creative process, in the long run it can help us see our process clearer, see what works for us (or doesn’t work as in Terri’s example), and can even free us to do better.

If we try different things, we see our own creativity clearer.

And then, another Lisa, at http://www.lisaakramer.com had interesting thoughts on mourning celebrities, which led into a great discussion on grief and mourning and letting go. This was another post that left me thinking after I had finished reading her words. Especially about all the things we have to let go of, physically and emotionally, whether it’s a person, a process, a home. Do we mourn because that person or object is gone, or do we mourn selfishly, because they are no longer with us?

It is absolutely amazing to me how the internet has opened up exposure to all these wonderful people out there, with their wisdom and talents and humor. Much more so than the pen-pals of my youth! It never fails that, when I read a post by these bloggers I follow, that I’m left with little gems to hold and consider throughout the rest of the day.

Thank you.

Dumping Ground

January 17, 2014 / Lisa / 7 Comments

Guess my son isn’t as ready for independence as he thinks he is. Here’s a funny story for you.

He and I did a dump run recently. We got there moments before the dump closed. This place is out in the woods, with chain link fence all around it, and automated gates. So picture the containers in this oasis of a couple spotlights, surrounded by the deep dark you find in woods at night. I told my son to hop out, drop the tailgate, and back me to the edge. Then said, jokingly, we need to hurry so we don’t get locked in. Off goes my newly – eighteen year old, wanting – to – be – an – adult. And comes right back.

“Mom, there’s a guy in there!”

“What?”

“There’s a guy in there!”

“What do you mean, a body?”

“No, a guy!”

And then he just stands there. Waiting for me to fix it.

I get out of the truck, walk back, and sure enough, in the spotlight, I see an older, scruffy man down in the container. He has a head lamp and a hand truck. He climbs out, hauling the hand truck, and walks away. No eye contact, no words. I said, ‘you don’t have to leave on our account; I just don’t want to whack you tossing stuff’ but no response. He walked into the dark shadows and presumably climbed the fence as there were no gates where he went.

Later, I laughed, thinking about how grown up my son wants to be, and yet how he still balances on that line of ‘mom will fix things’.

But then the writing brain took over the parental brain. What if there had been a body in there? What could the man have been looking for? I know, probably scrap metal, but still, what if it was something important? What would that important thing be, to send one out in the dark with just a headlamp? Where did he come from? Where did he go? Obviously out into the woods, but from there, where? And why?

I’m now imagining all sorts of scenarios, and I wish I’d asked him for his story. Maybe it’s mundane and he’s just a dumpster diver. But maybe it’s a Story.

The Story Question

December 28, 2013 / Lisa / 6 Comments

My husband has hooked me on Dark Horizons podcasts. They play music I don’t normally listen to, but it’s grown on me. Some, like VNV Nation and Assemblage 23 have lyrics that blow me away. Besides the music, though, Dark Horizons also does this silly question segment, which is exactly what it sounds like. And all the listeners get to send in answers. A recent silly question was, ‘what should you not do naked’. My first response was shop for groceries. My husband’s was fry bacon. Lots of people said ‘fry bacon’. No one said ‘shop for groceries’. That should tell you I’m not their typical audience demographic.

But what the hey. The silly question thing is fun. I know people do this on blogs, too, and I think, honestly, it’s filler for when you can’t think of anything to write about. Since I’m in the middle of packing (my son says we own more books than furniture, and are the only people he knows who packs rocks), I freely admit to being overwhelmed and in the need of filler. Which made me decide to post a question here once in a while and see what kind of things we can stir up.

Which brought me to a problem. Trying to find a question that isn’t corny, hasn’t been done to death, isn’t something you could find on any blog, makes you think, might make you laugh…you see the dilemma? How do I find something original to ask?

Well, there’s my question. I just saw it as I typed that last line above.

Storytelling has been going on for thousands of years. People often say there are no original stories, just retold ones. I imagine that’s the same whether you sing, or paint, or raise kids, or work nine-to-five, or pack rocks.

What does it mean to be original, and is there truly any originality left?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.